Convertible chair.



PATENTED AUG. 8, 1905.

B. L. THOMPSON.

CONVERTIBLE CHAIR.

APPLICATION IILBD MAR. 25,1904.

Zjtfmsw UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CONVERTIBLE CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1905.

Application filed March 25. 1904. Serial No. 199,902.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ELWIN L. THOMPSON, a citizen of the United States. and a resident of Baldwinville, county of Worcester, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Convertible Chairs, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to childrens chairs of the type constructed and arranged to be readily converted into a high or low chair and comprising. essentially, a chair body, pivotallyconnected and crossed front and rear legs therefor, and means to retain the chair in high or low position.

The object of my present invention is to simplify and cheapen the construction of a chair of the convertible type and to provide a strong, simple, and readily-operated device to lock the chair in raised position.

Figure 1 in side elevation represents in its raised or high position a chair embodying my present invention. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the chair in its lowest position. Fig. 4 is a much enlarged plan view of a portion of the locking device. to be described; and Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the device shown in Fig. 4, taken on the line 5 5.

The chair-body A, provided with two pairs of crossed legs a b, crossed and pivotally connected by a cross-bar 1, the legs a being pivotally connected at a with the. body and the links 6 pivotally connecting the latter with the legs 1) near their upper ends, may be and are of well-known construction in chairs of this type and operate as usual.

Vvhen the chair is lowered, as in Fig. 3, the legs a above the cross-bar 1 rest upon a stopbar 2, connecting the legs 6, and prevent further spreading of the legs.

The legs are herein shown as provided with wheels w, as is common in convertible chairs of this character.

A strong rigid bracket 3, (see Figs. 4 and 5,) made as a casting, has lateral ears 4:, which receive screws 5, by which the bracket is rigidly secured to the back of the chair-body, said bracket having an opening 6 therein, constituting a guide, for a purpose to be described. The opening 6 is cut away at its inner side, as at 7, presenting elongated depending bearing-faces 8 at each side, said faces being inclined, as shown in Fig. 5. At the outer side of the guide-opening 6 the bracket 3 is rearwardly extended, forming an open housing 9, provided with holes 10 11 at its ends (see Fig. 5) to receive aslidable latch 12, provided at its outer end with an enlarged head 13, forming a knob-like handle. The latch is of such length that when the shoulder 14 of the head bears against the housing the inner end of the latch will project across the guide-opening 6 into the recess 7 as clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

A collar 15 on the latch within the housing is held in place in suitable manner, as by a pin 16, and a strong spring 17 is coiled around the latch between said collar and the outer end of the housing 9, as shown, the spring acting to maintain the latch in operative position.

I have herein shown a keeper for the latch mounted on the rear legs 6 at its lower end and slidably connected at its upper end with the chair-bod y by or through the bracket attached thereto, the keeper being shown as a flattened stout metal bar 18, bifurcated or branched at its lower end, as at 19, the branches or arms being pivotally connected at 20 with the rear legs 6 below the stop-bar 2. The upper end of the keeperis passed loosely through the guide-opening 6, and in practice said keeper will be provided with an aperture 21 near its upper end to receive the inner end of the latch 12. I also provide a second aperture 22 lower down on the keeper to hold the chair-bod in an intermediate position.

When the chair is in its raised position, Figs. 1 and 2, the latch enters the aperture 21 and securely locks the chair body and legs from relative movement with the body in its highest position. To lower the chair, the operator grasps the handle 13 and pulls the latch outward far enough to disengage the latch from the keeper, the weight of the body causing it to descend, the keeper sliding through the guide. If the latch is released, it will be thrown into reengagement with the keeper by the spring 17 as soon as the latch is opposite the aperture 22, and if the chair is to be completely lowered the operator either maintains the latch withdrawn till such aperture 22 is passed or again retracts the latch therefrom, and the chair-body descends into the position shown in Fig. 3. At such time the bifurcated portion 19 of the keeper may then be utilized as an additional stop, the body resting thereupon, as shown in Fig. 3.

The faces 8 at the back of the guide are beveled or inclined, as shown, to give ample clearance for the keeper in the vertical movement of the chair-body, the recess or cut-away portion 7 of the guide permitting the end of the latch to pass well beyond the front face of the keeper when in engagement therewith to insure an absolute locking action. The keeper serves also to stiffen and strengthen the construction of the chair as a whole, and the locking means is strong, durable, and simple, while positive and direct-acting in its operation.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction thereof by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A convertible chaircomprising a vertically adjustable chair body, pivotally connected and crossed front and rear legs and pivotally-connected at-their upper ends with the body, an upturned keeper bifurcated at its lower end and pivotally and'directly connected with the rear legs near their lower ends, the keeper at its upper end being in sliding engagement with the chair-body and having a perforation therein,and a longitudinally-movable spring-controlled slidable latch carried by the chair-body and adapted to enter the aperture in the keeper to maintain the chairbody elevated.

2. A convertible chair comprising a vertically adjustable chair body, pivotally connected and crossed front and rear legs pivotall y connected at their upper ends to the body, an upturned flat keeper apertured at its upper end and at its lower end connected with the rear legs of the chair near their lower ends, a guide rigidly fixed on the back of the chairbody and having an openingto receive the keeper, an extension on and projecting rearwardly from the guide, and a longitudinallymovable spring controlled latch slidably mounted in said extension and having its inner end adapted to project into the opening in the guide, and enter an aperture in the keeper and lock the body and legs of the chair from relative movement.

3. A convertible chair comprising a body, pivotally-connected and crossed front and rear legs pivotally connected at their upper ends with the body, an elongated upturned and flat keeper apertured at its upper end and bifurcated at its lower end and pivotally connected thereat with the rear legs of the chair, a bracket rigidly fixed on the back of the body and having a guide-opening through which the keeper is slidable, to permit the chair to be raised or lowered, and a spring-controlled latch slidably mounted on the bracket and having its inner end adapted to cross the guide-opening and enter an aperture in the keeper, to maintain the chair locked in raised position, the bifurcation of the keeper acting as aistop for the body when the chair is lowere In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ELVVIN L. THOMPSON. W'itnesses:

W. P; HAWLnY, W. P. ABBOTT. 

